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One might assumethat a Milwaukee rapper who calls himself aMartian with the soul of a hippie would be an East Sidealternative MC with aspirations of being on a label like Def Jux orRhymesayers. That Pretty Ricky Phontaine fits better with the Northwest Sidehip-hop mainstream makes for an interesting surprise. He never reallyelaborates on his status as an extraterrestrial hippie, but a weird dichotomyunfolds throughout Phontaine’s 11 tracks. For the first few, he's all aboutboosting his ego, belittling his enemies and tapping some stripper booty. Abouthalfway through, however, he turns into a street griot/motivational speakerrailing against injustice and uplifting his listeners.Still, the squelchy synth tracks and occasional ’70s soul samplescomplement Phontaine’s simple but profanely articulate Too Short-like flow, nomatter which side of his personality he flaunts.
